Food That Will Bring You To Tears

I'm not sure when my passion for documentaries began, but I am officially hooked. I have watched films on food, shopping, religion and more. What I find myself going back to are films about what we eat in this country. It doesn't surprise me that we don't eat right or that we eat too much. What I am surprised to learn is what is in our food, where it comes from and the startling methods for which it is grown and produced. I just watched the documetary Food, Inc. (Available through Netflix instant watch)If you haven't seen it please do. It provides you with information about the how, what, when and why of what we eat in America. It is interesting, educational, frightening and it will wake you up. You will begin to read the labels, ask where those tomatoes that you bought in mid-winter came from. Especially if you have children. You cook a homemade meal that includes lean meat, vegetables, low fat, low sodium thinking you are doing something beneficial for your child. You then learn that the lean beef used in your casserole was cleansed with ammonia. You learn that cows should not be fed corn and how this altered diet increases E Coli growth within the animal. I was brought to tears to learn that a two year old child died from eating a hamburger at a family cook out due to factory tainted meat. This made me cry for his lost life, the life of my own child and children everywhere eating potentially hazardous foods in school. You see livestock abused and mistreated then served up as part of a ninety-nine cent drive thru menu. I was raised a meat and potatoes girl, but let me tell you I am ready to stop eating everything. Now of course we have to eat to live and most of us don't have a garden. This however should not stop any of us from making smarter more informed choices at the market. The documentary (Food, Inc.) gives you simple tips such as buying local produce, in season fruits/vegetables and taking advantage of your Farmer's Market. I really want to continue to learn what I am really serving my family three times a day. I hope that you will watch this film and that you are inspired to learn more, do more and help change our food for the better.

To learn more about Food, Inc. visit http://www.takepart.com/